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'Fast & Furious 6' and 'Skyfall' Stunt Driver On Becoming 007 and Nearly Crashing the Batmobile

He's played both James Bond and Batman. He's driven faster and more furiously than Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. He's bested dozens of Hollywood's biggest names — including Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, and Hugh Grant — on the race track. He held a starring role on one of the UK's top rated television shows for eight years. And yet, chances are you wouldn't recognize him if you passed him on the street.
Ben Collins, who acted as a stunt driver in The Dark Knight Rises, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Fast &amp; Furious 6 and others, is one of the top precision stunt drivers working today — and he gave Hollywood.com a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to get ahead in his adrenaline-pumping industry.
Daniel Craig is renowned for doing his own stunts (including much of the driving) as Bond, but Collins played an instrumental role in one of the film's most heart-stopping car sequences. While actress Naomie Harris was behind the wheel of the Land Rover in the film's opening chase, Collins was the one controlling the vehicle… from the roof. "Basically I was on the roof in what's called a pod system. It's like a metal cage with the steering and the pedals and the gears, so that basically I'm driving it from the roof with the actress underneath," Collins says. "It's pretty spooky for the actress."
"I guess I'm like expensive luggage sitting on the roof," Collins jokes. "I'm caged in there where I belong, and I'm strapped into a chair. It's got a normal seating position so from the outside it feels normal — but driving from the roof desperately takes some getting used to because you feel a lot more momentum at the top. And because you are the end of the seesaw, basically, when you go around a corner it feels like the car's going to tip over. They made a lot of modifications to make sure it stayed on the ground."
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Becoming 007's driving double is the most recent development in Collin's long career as a driver; the road to stunt driving has been paved with achievements on the race track and on television in his native Britain. He has been racing for 20 years, he says, and was "on the ladder's rung to reach Formula One," the most elite racing circuit in the world. During his time as a race car driver, Collins participated in the endurance racing event 24 Hours of Le Mans — which Collins describes as "cars racing at speeds of over 220 mph for 24 hours on this very high speed freestyle track in France" — as well as NASCAR in the U.S. Then, Collins landed his big break; he was cast as The Stig on BBC's long-running series Top Gear. The only catch: he couldn't tell anyone about it.
The Stig, who pushes cars to their limits as well as teaches celebrities to race on the show, "is this mysterious character in a white suit," Collins says. "And basically I never took the helmet off so no one ever knew who I was, what my name was, I never spoke in front of anybody who wasn't the crew. So for 8 years I carried on that role — 500 million viewers never knew who was doing all the driving. That was my career basically."
While on Top Gear, Collins (as The Stig) was challenged with teaching Hollywood's who's-who how to steer a car around the track. Who stands out in his mind as being the most adventurous? The one and only Tom Cruise. "He was absolutely ballsy," Collins says. "When he was going for the lap time in the Top Gear lab he was pushing so hard to set the fastest time. He did, but he actually crossed the line on two wheels — the car nearly tipped over. And he never got off the gas pedal, which I think says a lot about his nature."
In 2010, Collins decided to leave Top Gear and published an autobiography called The Man in the White Suit. While Collins had already left the show at the time of its publication, the book prompted a legal battle between Collins and Top Gear producers over confidentiality agreements.
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With eight seasons of TV under his belt, Collins set his sights a little higher: the big screen. Collins reached out to Gary Powell, stunt coordinator on a number of Bond films, including Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Skyfall. Powell brought Collins on board for Quantum, where he found himself seated behind the wheel of Bond's iconic Aston Martin. "I got involved with that incredible car chase, driving the Aston Martin, doubling James Bond, and pinching myself — it was hard to believe I was doing it," Collins says.
While the actors who have stepped into Bond's tuxedo — Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Daniel Craig, and the others — are the films' faces, the franchise is just as well known for its wild car chases and insane stunts. Behind the wheel of a Bond car, be it the Aston Martin or a Land Rover, Collins knew he had some large driving gloves to fill. "The great thing is, you've got a huge thing to live up to. With Bond, you're being handed a baton that's been passed through 50 years from one incredible stuntman to the next. So you've got a lot on your shoulders to live up to," Collins says.
"I grew up watching Bond with my family … So when someone pats you on the shoulder and says, 'It's your turn now,' you just think, 'I better not mess this up.' And you give it your everything to make it as good as what you remember seeing," Collins says. "So with the Bond character you are absolutely in awe of it. And you just try to keep calm on the day and make sure that you get the maximum performance out, that's what counts. You try and forget the nostalgia and just focus on the job."
Following his first stint as Bond, Collins was given the opportunity to check another dream off every car enthusiast's checklist. He drove the Batmobile in The Dark Knight Rises. "Yeah, driving the Batmobile was awesome," Collins concedes. "It's a fantastic machine. They made this incredible car that goes 110 mph — there are about six or seven of them, but there's nothing else like it in the world."
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Collins' favorite moment of shooting from the TDKR set never made it into the film, however. "There was a point when there was three of us doing a high speed through a tunnel and Chris Nolan was in a tracking vehicle, it's like a crane mounted to the roof of the Mercedes NL55, and we had to swerve past him in quite a tight space. It was so tight that our wheel hubs were just touching the wall and sending sparks through the tunnel," Collins says. "I'll always remember that because it was the first time I really drove with [stunt coordinator] George Cottle and Terry Jackson, another famous stunt guy from America, and I knew I'd arrived. It was a fantastic moment."
With sparks flying and head-on collisions imminent, the average driver would be terrified to face the things that are all in a day's work for Collins and his team. As such, Collins says that he rarely feels as though he is in danger while attempting death-defying stunts. "I'm usually brought in as a precision driver, which means there might be some danger, but by being precise and accurate I should be able to avoid it," he says. "We rehearse [the car chases] very accurately as best we can … We make all the preparations in advance as best as we possibly can, and that gives you a feeling of being in control." That being said, Collins adds, "You're definitely aware of the danger and that's why you get the adrenaline. And I suppose that's why we're addicted to our jobs."
When we spoke with Collins he was on his way to the Fast &amp; Furious 6 set, so we had to ask, is he a speed demon on the highway during his daily commute? "Oh well, I get the odd ticket, which is terrible, but occasionally it happens," he says, laughing. "I mean, I don't go crazy on the road. I'm very fortunate to have had a career in racing and take as much of it out, as I can, on the track. And also, what I do, the speeds are so different than anything you could possibly do on the road anyway, I don't get that much of a buzz at road pace anyway."
Collins adds, "But I do love driving day to day. We have great roads here, as well as in the States; there are some fantastic places to drive. And occasionally you get a little carried away. But I try not to."
Follow Abbey on Twitter @AbbeyStone
[Photo Credit: Motortrend; AP Images;Warner Bros. Pictures]
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With the marketplace in a bit of a box office lull for the last couple of weeks, with neither Brad Pit's Killing Them Softly able to upend the Twilight gang, nor Gerard Butler's Playing For Keeps able to knock Bond out of his Aston-Martin, the holdovers have had a virtual strangle hold on the nation’s theaters since Thanksgiving. Even Rise of The Guardians, which opened rather soft over the aforementioned T-day weekend, has had a come from behind run and has rallied to become the number one choice for families and their kids at the multiplex.
Of course all of that is about to change when the much-anticipated and long-awaited prequel to the decade old and massively successful Lord of the Rings trilogy. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens this Friday in over 4,000 theaters in various formats including 3D, IMAX, the highly divisive, technologically-innovative HFR (High Frame Rate) version and, of course, traditional 2D presentations. The is no controversy over the fact that director Peter Jackson has secured his place in the pantheon of legendary film directors by virtue of his singular vision in meeting the incredible challenge of bringing the Tolkien masterworks to the big screen.
This brings us to the lofty box office expectations that are generally applied to great filmmakers, specifically ones with the unenviable task of trying to top their previous efforts, and the pressures, both real and imagined, that are exerted by pundits, analysts, critics and audiences alike. If this is the case then all eyes will be on the opening weekend performance of The Hobbit and whether or not the film can live up to the legacy firmly established by the original three Lord of the Rings films released in mid-December 2001, 2002 and 2003. With nearly $3 billion in worldwide box office, numerous awards and nominations including winning 17 out of 30 Academy Awards nominated in total, this will be no easy task.
What are we to expect from this weekend’s dollar figure total from The Hobbit? $100 million plus, right? This is after all one of the most anticipated movies of the year and should easily post one of the biggest opening weekends of the year. But the answer is yes and no. Let’s look at a box office fun fact to put this in perspective: not a single $100 million plus opener has ever sprung forth from the month of December. In fact, not a single film has ever opened to over $80 million in its opening weekend in December. The highest December debut is Will Smith in I Am Legend which opened December 14, 2007 with $77.2 million and in second place is of course Avatar which started its marathon run on December 18, 2009 with just $77.025 million. Even the Lord of the Rings Trilogy had modest debuts by summer blockbuster standards with $47.2 million (the 9th best Dec. debut) for The Fellowship of the Ring, $62.0 million (the 6th best Dec. debut) for The Two Towers and $72.6 million (the 3rd best Dec. debut) for Return of the King.
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December is the month of modest weekend debut followed by long and successful theatrical runs that are encouraged by the less competitive box office environment of the early January playing time that most mid-December releases encounter. The text book case of this is 1997’s Titanic which opened with a mere $28.6 million on December 19 and held the number one spot for an unimaginable 15 weeks up to and through the last weekend in March of 1998! Cameron’s follow-up, Avatar, held the number one spot for its first seven weekends and became the highest grossing film of all-time supplanting (after more than decade long reign as the champion) the director’s own Titanic (with $600.8 million in its first run) and a total North American gross of $760.5 million. Last year’s savior of the slow late-2011 box office, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol opened wide after an IMAX preview week with only $29.556 million, but played strongly into the first part of 2012 and wound up with nearly $210 million in total North American box office.
We think The Hobbit has a real shot at posting the biggest December opening weekend of all-time and could perhaps for the first time break the $80 million mark with the combination of higher ticket prices and fan fervor paving the way. What do you think? Are we over or under? It looks like we will find out when Warner Bros. The Hobbit unleashes Bilbo Baggins and his compatriots into cinemas this Friday.
Follow Paul Dergarabedian on Twitter @PDergarabedian
Follow Matt Patches on Twitter @misterpatches
[Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures]
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Like an Aston-Martin DB5 at full throttle the 23rd installment of the James Bond franchise, Skyfall is off to a blistering start in both IMAX and traditional theaters.
The best Bond film in years, the film earned $2.2 million in Thursday previews that were exclusive to 463 IMAX and Premium Large Format theaters. Midnight shows grossed an impressive $2.4 million for a combined total of $4.6 million. According to Sony Pictures, early matinees are through the roof, including exceptional performance from Imax theaters that are now running with their regular schedule.
We are projecting a $70 to $75 million (though $80M plus would not surprise us) North American weekend debut for the film which would be the biggest start for any Bond film (Die Another Day - $47.0M/Casino Royale - $40.8M/Quantum of Solace - $67.5M) - and an assured number one spot at the box office this weekend. Having already earned over $300 million internationally, Skyfall is on track to rival the worldwide numbers of $596.0 million and $575.4 million posted by Casino and Quantum respectively.
The following data courtesy of Facebook gives particularly terrific insights into the Bond phenomenon:
In advance of the highly anticipated premiere of Skyfall today, we wanted to share some fun facts about the movie and its fans on Facebook. Average daily mentions of the film are up 508 percent from this time last month, and “Skyfall” has been the most mentioned 007 term.
Did you know that fans of James Bond are more likely to also like Indiana Jones and Jason Bourne? That Facebook mentions of the term “Bond Girl” are up 113%? Thanks to the dedicated 007 fans on Facebook who are counting down the days until they see Daniel Craig return to the big screen (52% of his Facebook fans being women), we now have answers to these questions and much more.
Most-Mentioned Terms
Looking at total mentions now, here’s how the 007-related terms rank in terms of what’s getting the most mentions:
1. Skyfall
2. James Bond
3. Daniel Craig
4. Severine
5. Bond Girl
6. Javier Bardem
7. Judi Dench
8. Sam Mendes
9. Ralph Fiennes
10. Albert Finney
Mentions Increases – Top 007 Terms
Comparing the average daily mentions now vs. a month ago:
• Mentions of Skyfall are up 508%
• Mentions of Daniel Craig are up 185%
• Mentions of “Bond Girl” are up 113%
• Mentions of James Bond are up 104%
Mentions Increases – Director &amp; Other Actors
Comparing the average daily mentions now vs. a month ago. Note that these % increases are higher than the above because the baseline amount of mentions they started from were much lower:
• Mentions of Javier Bardem are up 800%
• Mentions of director Sam Mendes are up 707%
• Mentions of Bérénice Marlohe are up 594%
• Mentions of Naomie Harris are up 415%
• Mentions of Judi Dench are up 377%
• Mentions of Albert Finney are up 258%
Talk Meter Buzz
We used the Talk Meter to calculate which user groups are buzzing the most about the movie and the actors.
Skyfall / James Bond
• Men are buzzing more overall about the movie than women
o Top male groups:
1. Men 25-34
2. Men 18-24
3. Men 35-44
o Top female groups:
1. Women 18-24
2. Women 25-34
3. Women 35-44
• Top states: Washington, Utah, Oregon, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Virginia, California, Maryland, Arizona
• FYI: The UK is buzzing almost twice as much as the US! Top Countries: UK, US, India, France, Germany, Malaysia, Indonesia, Netherlands, Mexico
Daniel Craig:
• Men are buzzing a bit more than women
o For both men and women, the 35-44 age group is buzzing the most, followed by 25-34.
• Top states: Michigan, Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina, Louisiana
• The UK is currently buzzing more than 5 times as much about Daniel Craig than the US. Top Countries: UK, India, US, Singapore, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands, Canada
James Bond Demographics
James Bond 007
• 79% male; 21% female
• 36% of fans are 18-24; 22% are 25-45; and 17% are 13-17
• Top countries: US, India, UK, Indonesia, Germany
o Note: The top city in terms of fan volume is London
Daniel Craig
• 52% female; 48% male
• 39% of fans are 18-24; 24% are 25-34; 16% are 35-44
• Top countries: UK, US, India, France, Germany
o Note: The top city in terms of fan volume is also London
Other Movie Pages Also Liked By Fans of James Bond 007
• Fans of James Bond 007 – more likely to also like:
o Indiana Jones
o Bourne
o Batman Begins
o The Dark Knight Rises
o Mission: Impossible
o Star Trek
o The Matrix
o The Terminator
o Star Wars
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The Global Bond Day Christie's sale was held to mark the 50th anniversary of the first superspy movie, Dr. No, and former James Bond icon Sir Roger Moore was on hand to help sell off several collectibles and props.
The highlight of the sale was a 2008 Aston Martin, driven by Craig in Quantum of Solace, which sold for $386,000 (£241,250), while the swimwear he donned in one famous Bond scene earned $71,120 (£44,450).
Actress Dame Judi Dench, who plays M in the superspy franchise, helped boost the price of the trunks by declaring, "They're unwashed."
One bidder paid $251,600 (£157,250) for a titanium Omega Seamaster Professional Planet Ocean watch worn by the actor in the upcoming film Skyfall, while a Tom Ford suit he donned fetched $74,960 (£46,850).
Other items which went under the hammer included an orchestral score for the new theme song Skyfall, signed on the cover by singer Adele and co-writer Paul Epworth.
In a post on his Twitter.com page, comedian David Walliams, who was also among the star sellers at the event, writes, "I was with the Roger tonight at the Bond auction at Christie's. Over £1m was raised and Sir Roger was hilarious with his Daniel Craig mask."